MLB Winter Meetings: Five biggest losers

Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings have wrapped up, and not every team or player was able to get what they wanted.

There are winners, and there are losers in almost any sort of event associated with sports. Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings are no different. While teams like the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox were able to accomplish exactly what they wanted, there were plenty of teams who did nothing at the meetings.

This edition of the Winter Meetings was heavily focused on trades rather than free-agent signings. Aroldis Chapman and Ian Desmond were the only premier free agents to find a home, with several of the biggest names seeing their market and leverage continue to shrink.

We broke down the five biggest winners of the Winter Meetings yesterday. Now, let’s move onto the five biggest losers.

5. Texas Rangers

The Rangers entered this offseason as a team many felt could make at least one major splash. So far, all they have been able to do is re-sign Carlos Gomez for one year and $11.5 million. Financially, the Rangers may not have much to work with, as they have already committed over $141 million to next year’s team.

While the Rangers are hemmed in due to their budget, their chief rival in the AL West, the Houston Astros, have had a dynamite offseason. Already, the Astros have landed Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Josh Reddick, and Charlie Morton. Houston was prepared to spend significantly to improve their chances of unseating the Rangers, and they may not be done yet. The Astros have what it takes to acquire a pitcher like Jose Quintana on the trade market.

Texas won the AL West with a lot of luck last season, winning an unfathomable number of one-run games. So far this offseason, they have done nothing to improve at first base or in the bullpen, and still need to replace Ian Desmond. There are several potential upgrades on the market for the Rangers at key positions of need, but it does not appear they will be in on the bidding.